Ranked: the longest-living car engines

Slide of The engine world as we know it is changing. The advent of electrification means that the days of us being able to worship legendary engines in the future may well just not happen. The industry is yet to make legends of any of the raft of new electric motors now being installed in the wave of electric vehicles, and we can’t see that changing anytime soon. Time, then, to salute the units of the past and present that have character, class – and lived a long time. Here are the longest running of the lot: Slide of Opel CIH: 1965-1995 (30 years) The Opel CIH from General Motors’ (GM) European arm was a highly flexible series of engines that featured four or six cylinders, with sizes ranging from 1.5-litres up to 3.6-litres. The most well-known cars fitted with Opel’s Cam In Head engine were the Ascona, Kadett and Manta (pictured). The CIH actually made its debut in the second-generation Rekord, and was still being used in 1995 in the Isuzu MU SUV, sold in the UK as the Vauxhall Frontera. Slide of Opel CIH: 1965-1995 (30 years) USED IN: CHEVROLET 1700, DAEWOO Royale, HOLDEN: Sunbird, Torana, ISUZU MU. OPEL: Ascona, GT, Kadett (pictured), Manta, Olympia, Omega, Rekord, Ranger, Saehan Rekord, VAUXHALL: Carlton, Vauxhall Cavalier, Vauxhall Frontera. Slide of Ford Modular V8: 1990-present (32 years) Ford has been downsizing its petrol engines for a long time now, especially around its EcoBoost units. So it’s easy to forget that Ford’s V8 has been around for well over three decades now. Finished in cast iron but with weight-saving aluminum-alloy heads and pistons, its size ranges from 4.6-litre to 5.8-litre; there was even a V10 6.8-litre version used mainly in the Super Duty F-Series. Highly adaptable, the engine has also powered 240mph supercars, with the engine cranked out to 817 hp. Today it’s built at Ford’s plant in Windsor, Ontario. Slide of Ford Modular V8: 1990-present (32 years and counting) USED IN: FORD F-Series, E-Series, Expedition, Mustang, Crown Victoria, Thunderbird, Falcon, MERCURY Grand Marquis, Cougar, Mountaineer, Marauder, LINCOLN Mark VIII, Town Car, Navigator, Continental, Aviator, ROVER 75 V8, MARCOS Mantis, PANOZ Esperante, MG X-Power SV, ZT 260, QVALE Mangusta, KOENIGSEGG CC8, CCR (pictured), INVICTA S1. Slide of Rover V8: 1967-2004 (37 years) This all-aluminum engine was based on the Buick 215 (born in 1960), used in both Buicks and Pontiacs. General Motors abandoned it for reasons of expense and unreliability, then sold it to Rover, which redesigned it and made it much more dependable. With an excellent combination of power, torque and light weight, it featured in Rovers (like the SD1 3500, pictured), Land Rovers, MGs, Morgans and TVRs. Starting life as a 3.5-litre, it ended its days as a 4.6-litre, as fitted to the Range Rover. Slide of Rover V8: 1967-2004 (37 years) EXCLUDING ITS GM DAYS, IT WAS USED IN: GINETTA G33, LAND ROVER: Series II, 110/130, Defender, Discovery, Range Rover (pictured), LEYLAND P76, MGB GT V8, MG RV8, MORGAN Plus 8, ROVER: P5, P6, SD1, TRIUMPH TR8. TVR: 350i, Chimaera, Griffith, V8S. Slide of AMC Straight Six: 1964-2006 (42 years) American Motors Corporation first put its new inline six-cylinder engine into a special version of the 1964 Rambler called the Typhoon. In 4.0-litre form it was one of the best features of the first Jeep Cherokee (pictured), and was still being fitted to the Wrangler as late as 2006. Slide of AMC Straight Six: 1964-2006 (42 years) USED IN: AMC:  Concord, Eagle, Gremlin, Hornet, Javelin, Matador, Pacer, Rebel, Spirit.  JEEP:  CJ, Cherokee, Comanche, Commando, Gladiator, Grand Cherokee, Wrangler (pictured), Wagoneer, PARS KHODRO:  Arya, Shahin, RAMBLER:  Ambassador, American, Marlin, Rebel, Typhoon, RENAULT Rambler. Slide of Citroën 2CV: 1948-1990 (42 years) Citroën’s air-cooled two-cylinder, ranging in size from 375cc to 602cc, lasted the entire life of the 2CV, which might have begun nine years earlier if war hadn’t got in the way. The engine was also used in the Ami, Dyane and Mehari. A 652cc development of it later appeared in the Visa. Slide of Citroën 2CV: 1948-1990 (42 years) USED IN: CITROËN:  2CV (pictured), Acadiane, Ami, Bijou, Dyane, Mehari. Slide of Ferrari Colombo V12: 1947-1989 (42 years) Shortly after World War 2, Enzo Ferrari (pictured center) asked engineer Gioacchino Colombo what he would do with a 1500cc engine. Colombo replied that “Maserati has four cylinders, the British have six, Alfa Romeo has eight, so we should have 12.” Enzo entirely agreed, and Colombo’s resulting brilliant V12 was at the heart of a great many 20th-century Ferraris. Slide of Ferrari Colombo V12: 1947-1989 (42 years) It appeared in the very first Ferrari-badged car, the 1.5-litre 125 S sports racer, and stayed around (after decades of development and an increase in size to 4.9